New Zealand authorities chasing Antarctic poachers on four continents

The New Zealand government has launched an international effort to bring to justice those responsible for three foreign-flagged vessels fishing illegally in waters around Antarctica, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Friday.

New Zealand navy patrol vessel HMNZS Wellington had collected " extensive evidence" of poaching in the Southern Ocean by three vessels -- the Songhua, the Kunlun and the Yongding -- all claiming to be flagged to Equatorial Guinea, McCully said in a statement.

"This morning I spoke with Equatorial Guinea's Foreign Minister, Mr Agapito Mba Mokuy. He assured me that we have Equatorial Guinea 's full cooperation in terms of investigating this matter and confirmed that the illegal vessels were not flagged to Equatorial Guinea," said McCully.

Two of the illegal vessels claimed to be owned by Stanley Management -- "a likely shelf company" -- that shared an address with the Panama-based offices of law firm Sucre, Arias & Reyes.

"Efforts to obscure the true ownership of illegal fishing vessels are common and New Zealand officials are in discussions with the Panamanian authorities about investigating these possible links," said McCully.

"We are also working closely with Spanish authorities as two of the vessels have previously been linked to the Spanish-based syndicate, Vidal Armadores."

After an investigation by New Zealand in 2008, the Spanish government had fined Vidal Armadores for illegal fishing, carried out by one of the same vessels currently being investigated.

"Everything we have seen points to Vidal Armadores continuing to control and manage this illegal activity in the Southern Ocean, " said McCully.

"Shutting down this sort of illegal fishing is not straight forward and requires the full support of international partners. We are working with the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, Interpol and other governments to put these interests out of business and protect the Southern Ocean," he said.

Also on Friday, the environmental activist group Sea Shepherd Australia promised its vessel, the Sam Simon, would continue to tail the three fishing vessels after HMNZS Wellington was forced to return home to refuel.

New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee Thursday defended the country's navy from a broadside of criticism after it failed to stop the illegal fishing by using its firepower to force access for a boarding party.

The Yongding and Songhua had denied access to a boarding party from the Wellington on Wednesday after the government of Equatorial Guinea granted permission to board them.

Fishing in the Southern Ocean is regulated by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and New Zealand conducts regular patrols there targeting illegal fishing operations. Endi